Biden: Monkeypox threat doesn’t rise to level of COVID-19

By JOSH BOAK and AAMER MADHANI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — President Joe Biden is seeking to calm concerns about recent cases of monkeypox that have been identified in Europe and the United States. He says he does not see the need to institute strict quarantine measures. Biden spoke about the matter in Tokyo, one day after he had said the virus was something “to be concerned about.” Biden told reporters on Monday that he doesn’t think monkeypox rises to the level of concern that existed with COVID-19. He added that the smallpox vaccine works for monkeypox and the U.S. has enough stockpile of that vaccine to handle it.